Biology II gone wrong..

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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<p>So I'm a student who was accepted for the fall of '09 to CALS. I can't go because financial aid gave us next to nothing, so I'm reapplying for acceptance in spring, which saves us just enough money to afford Cornell. In my acceptance letter, Cathy Sheils advised me to take Bio II over the summer at another CC (as I had planned to because my community college didn't offer it in spring, they only offered Botany as an equivalent which wouldn't fit with all my other pre-reqs.)</p>

<p>Now I'm nearing the end of the course, and all eleven of us that remain are finding it very ridiculous. No one has an A and we're finding the tests are extremely more specific than our notes/the practice tests she gives cover. Now I'm not going to complain about that, because it's biology over the summer, it's expected to be a lot of information and fast-paced. </p>

<p>The point is, I'm looking at receiving a C. Not the C+ that I <em>should</em> get, but because Hudson Valley's grade policy is 79 = C, 80 = B (they don't do +/- which I find very weird) I'm on the borderline.</p>

<p>It <em>is</em> possible for me to still get the B, which I'll confirm once I get test #3 back tomorrow. My question is, what should I do if I get the C? I met with Mrs. Sheils when we went for the financial meeting and she insisted I definitely finished the Biology II over the summer. There isn't any equivalent for me to take in the fall at my normal community college (except perhaps Zoology, but I'd have to rearrange my entire schedule, interfering with the Chemistry I course I need.) </p>

<p>If I do get the C, considering I've been accepted once already, how much does that hurt my new application? I obviously plan on doing well in the fall, I like my schedule very much and have plenty of time to study and get everything needed for transfer again. She did tell me when we met with her in spring that I am 'over-prepared to enter Cornell as a COM major' and that obviously my passion presented in my essay helped a ton. I can do that again with another essay....is sending a C that bad? My GPA without it was a 3.3 for year #1.</p>

<p>I know obviously calling and explaining to someone would get the specific answer I need, but I figured I'd ask here first.</p>

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<p>hey wateradept,</p>

<p>i think your potential C will not be an issue for re-admission. however, i’d do everything in your power to get that B. maybe mention to your professor that no one in the class is earning an A, and explain your unique situation to him/her. profs can be quite flexible if approached the right way. hopefully you can give me some insight on my situation.</p>

<p>i’m applying to CALS for spring transfer, for viticulture and enology. i spoke with cathy sheils this morning, as i am actually in a weird situation myself. i am a wine and viticulture major at my college in california, and i am not required to take bio 1 and 2 for my major here. i recently decided that i do not want to continue at my school, but i am missing bio 1 and 2. however, i have a lot of other transferrable courses: microbiology, chemistry 1, organic chemistry, food chemistry, statistics, academic writing, speech, etc. my overall gpa is a 3.36, and I have one C- on my transcript (ridiculously hard econ class). i am not planning on submitting my SAT’s. </p>

<p>i would take bio 1 and 2 before transferring, but i am geared up to do an internship at a prestigious winery (with connections to cornell) this fall. cathy said normally she would encourage me to complete the bio requirement, but because I have demonstrated proficiency in science courses, she advised me to keep the internship (she views this as competitive) and complete bio at cornell. she said to include this information in my essays, and that she made extensive notes in my file. </p>

<p>chances with excellent essays and recs?</p>

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<p>i should also mention that my high school gpa was 3.55, and i am currently entering my junior year in college (in summer school now). i kind of screwed up the second semester of my senior year and received 3 C’s.</p>

<p>extra currics: vines to wines club officer, gay straight alliance club officer, a great deal of community service, drummer for best-selling band, diverse amount of work experience.</p>

<p>what exactly was your interaction with cathy like? and how little financial aid was offered to you (based on your parents income)? i would not be able to attend cornell if not granted a generous fin aid package.</p>

<p>let me know if you need any guidance that i can provide in return.</p>

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<p>Thanks, calpoly, yeah with the test grade I got on #3, I don’t see the B possible. I’ve already spoken to her at the beginning of last week about helping the class out a little more given the difficulty of the summer class by letting us do lab reports or short essays to boost our lab grades, but she’s this 90 year old scientist-type professor that refuses to bend (she told me she doesn’t do any of that even for the regular semester classes and she gives you that ‘i’m old and don’t understand what you’re asking’ look.) I think it’s ridiculous that our lab grade, which should be based on an <em>overview</em> of what we’re doing in the lab is just quizzes…why make them separate from the test grades at all?</p>

<p>Anyway, yeah, I’ll still do my best on the last quiz on Monday and my final test Thursday, and see if I can ask her about any other possible thing she can do to help us out. </p>

<p>Well especially considering Cathy OK’d you on not having to take the two bios, that’s great! You should be fine, good luck with the internship. And yeah, you can just take them when you get to Cornell. You should have fine chances, just demonstrate that you have ‘fit’ for Cornell in particular, not just because they have the program you want. Do that in your essay and definitely have 1-2 good recs (maybe get something from the internship if that’s something you can do before sending the final section of your app.)</p>

<p>Cathy is nice, but she also was pretty quick to dismiss some of my thoughts and what not when I was explaining things to her about my interests. She’s very helpful otherwise, though (except when I emailed her about 2 weeks ago about what papers Cornell will keep for me and what I have to re-send, she still hasn’t answered me…)</p>

<p>As for financial aid, my dad’s a Colonel in the army, and while I’m not at liberty to say our income bracket we were hoping for a decent $8,000 off of tuition when we went to visit…they gave us only $550 in sub-loans, and 2 weeks later when we had a reevaluation letter sent, we got $1800 in a work study, but they told us we were so far away from getting any grants that we can’t. It’s not like we have all the money in the bank…either way, one more semester saves us just enough to afford Cornell. </p>

<p>My friend who had a GT and turned it down last year was really surprised. His dad is a lawyer, and when he met with them at Cornell they gave him a really great financial package…then again, his grandfather, dad, and brother I think went to Cornell. I don’t know if they look that up <em>all</em> the time, and for the state-assisted schools too, but w/e.</p>

<p>I’m hoping some other people can help us out a little…it seems like no one knows anything about the spring transfer process. X_x</p>

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<p>hey wateradept,</p>

<p>thanks for the words. i definitely think you’ll be fine in your reapplication, considering cornell already accepted you once. just go out of your way to get the highest grade possible in bio 2; what do you have to lose? that’s a bummer about the financial aid, but honestly, if you have to take out some loans in combination with what your parents can provide, it is a serious investment that will definitely bestow a worthwhile return. </p>

<p>as for my situation, i’m not so sure about not completing bio 1 and 2. although cathy said that i have already demonstrated proficiency in science courses, i am very concerned that i will be easily dismissed since those are the two most important pre-reqs. also, i have quite a few C’s on my high school transcript during senior year, and feel like they might raise some suspicion. do you think i should try to take bio 1 at CC while i’m doing my internship in the fall? i know it couldn’t hurt, but this internship will require me there 60+ hours a week. if i get a solid recommendation from my employer, 2 great recs, and discuss how i will make up the bio courses at cornell in the supplemental essay, do you think i’ll be okay?</p>

<p>btw, what’s your intended major to cornell? we may very well both be entering spring semester.</p>

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<p>and also, were you accepted with a 3.3? did you submit standardized tests, and are you a new york resident?</p>

<p>thanks man.</p>

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<p>Yes, I’m a NY resident, I was accepted with a 3.3 GPA (mostly all Bs in my first year of college, with 2-3 As) and I’m a Communications major with an intended Biology minor at CALS. I didn’t submit my SATs because you don’t have to; especially for you, they’ll say they need your HS transcript, but when you enter as a junior, you won’t have that count against you. They care about your college years only when looking at transfers. However if you had at least decent SATs it doesn’t hurt to send them.</p>

<p>And yeah, what I meant was without the bio 1/2 if Cathy said you’d be fine, you really most likely will be. Although, getting Bio 1 out the way by taking it in the fall at a CC (it’s definitely not a tough class, I’m actually really mad at myself for not getting an A in it) would put you above and beyond. I mean, Sheils is one of the people who review your app, so chances are she’ll remember your situation and the internship will click in her mind. Regardless, you don’t necessarily need the bio if you want to have an amazing internship relationship and put all your effort into that, I’d say stick with that! That’s a really awesome major.</p>

<p>Also, yep, anything you have to explain should be done so in your essay and on the ‘additional information’ section of the common app. It’s funny, you feel like often times you’d be making up ‘excuses’ but that’s really what Cornell like, wants you to do with specific situations regarding why you didn’t complete something, etc. I’m curious as to when we need to fill all that out/when it appears online.</p>

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<p>your going to be a junior next year or sophomore? </p>

<p>i highly go against applying again. just cause you were accepted this time doesn’t mean next time. just take a loan from the bank to cover the semester</p>

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<p>No, I’m entering as a sophomore no matter what semester it is. He’s going to enter as a junior.</p>

<p>And I don’t have a choice, we have plenty of access to loans but there’s literally next to no financial aid for us. As much as I wanted to just do it, my parents said there’s no way they could afford the family contribution portion (and the FA office was extremely difficult with us, not offering any advice, assistance, ways to work things out, etc. They also refused to let us speak to anyone else besides this shaky/wishy-washy woman who we were provided with in our first FA meeting.)</p>

<p>And Cathy Sheils, again, had nothing but praise for me in reapplying because
a) She specifically said so many less students apply for spring transfer, so there’s less competition.</p>

<p>b) There are plenty of spots to vie for still because so many students drop out, transfer, study abroad, etc. That’s also a good reason as to why getting closer to choosing your favorite place of living becomes an option.</p>

<p>c) She said I was accepted for my astounding fit/interest level and my constant communication with the school the year and a half before applying. She said I was ‘overprepared to come in as a COM major for next year’ given the fact I already had two basic COM courses done while most students had to take only general ed. courses their first year before transfer.</p>

<p>Not to mention, it’s not as easy as just taking out a loan to cover it. We’re going to be taking out massive loans regardless of when I end up at Cornell. My parents just didn’t want me graduating with THAT much debt, in addition to the fact that the family contribution would mean they could do next to nothing other than paying for my college if I went in the fall. One more semester saves us <em>just</em> enough.</p>

<p>Believe me, if I could go this month, I would.</p>

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<p>Wateradept,</p>

<p>Do not worry about what Anbuwhatever is saying to you. If you were already accepted once, your chances of getting accepted again are significantly greater. He is just trying to shake your confidence. If Cathy said all of those great things regarding your credentials, I feel that they would want you and understand your financial situation.</p>

<p>Anyway, I am worried that I will be easily denied without either Bio 1 and 2. Although I have a great deal of other transferrable courses, and Cathy said “normally I would recommend that a student complete Bio 1 and 2 and drop the internship, however, you have clearly demonstrated proficiency in science courses and will be able to make up Bio here,” I feel as though the admissions committee will be less apt to give me a chance. It may look as if I am unprepared for Cornell, unlike you, who was in contact with the school for a great amount of time before applying. Also, I feel like she may just be encouraging me to apply to increase their pool of applications, and not necessarily because I have a chance at admittance. Doing Bio 1 during the internship will likely be impossible due to the intensive nature of my work, so I think that option is out. My SAT’s/ACT are not strong enough to submit. </p>

<p>A few Q’s: Did you have any C’s on your college transcript when you applied? Was it a 3.3 flat? And did Cathy really say there are a much lower amount of applicants for Spring? I seriously feel like Vit & Enology is such a new and unique major that very few (to no one else) may be applying for it. If this is the case, I think my chances are good.</p>

<p>Any progress with your teacher?</p>

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<p>also, the cornell supplement has just been made available online. i think it is always to an applicant’s benefit to submit their materials as early as possible because it shows preparedness.</p>

<p>wateradept, do you think i’ll be disadvantaged by this being my third time applying to cornell as a transfer student? i applied to the hotel school twice (the last two semesters), and was rejected both times. i was hoping that CALS would not learn about my previous denials, and think that they are my second choice (they are not–I didn’t even know cornell had a vit/enology major until recently). the only reason i am worried is because there is a space on the supplement that reads: “have you applied to cornell before?” :/</p>

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<p>I wonder if the admissions officers are really that tricky when speaking to prospective students…hm. It’s hard to pinpoint, but I still feel stronger on the side saying you’ll be accepted due to the fact you have so much proficiency in the sciences (she was right-you’ve taken so much more science courses than any transfer applicant I know entering this coming fall). If you really feel nervous about it, try to call CALS and see if they’ll let you speak to some officers other than Cathy Sheils. Maybe if they say the same type of thing, that might give you a better outlook.</p>

<p>But in turns of actually ‘tricking’ you into applying, I highly doubt Cornell’s staff would do that…they still get tons of applicants, it’s just when you look at spring transfers, it’s a very awkward process to transfer to a new school for spring. Naturally, they get far less applicants, but still have a decent number of spots to fill for them, and if you’re major is new and not that popular as you say, so long as you demonstrate fit and extreme like for Cornell’s program in particular, I’d say your chances are still great.</p>

<p>I’m rounding, actually, my GPA stands at around a 3.29ish, but by the time I’d be at Cornel it would be at least a 3.3 with my (hopeful and probable) straight As in the four classes I’m taking this fall. My only C in my first year of college was a C+ in Stats. Other than that I got about 3 As, and a truckload of Bs/B+s. Oddly enough, never a B- though.</p>

<p>And yes, she definitely said spring is much less competitive, which I suppose doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t <em>as many</em> applicants, but…yeah. I just checked collegeboard, I really hate that they don’t have many spring statistics, but for fall transfers 801/2,918 were accepted. CALS in particular, and I suppose ILR and Ecology too, also accepts kids with a lot more ‘fit’ base than the others do.</p>

<p>From that point of view, you do have good chances given your intense resume/interest level for your major.</p>

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<p>Ahhh really? Thanks for the update, I’ll make sure I fill out all my stuff right away too!</p>

<p>And hm, I’m not sure, but you have to understand the hotel school is the most competitive thing at Cornell along with Engineering. I’m sure <em>plenty</em> of kids have been denied from the hotel school and reapplied to a different major at Cornell. I’ve heard by doing that, it could be easier to be an internal transfer and get to the hotel school…but given you’d be transferring in for your 2nd semester of your 2nd to last year, I doubt you’ll want to try for hotel again. :P</p>

<p>But yeah, hopefully it just means you’ll be regarded better in their eyes because they should know your profile pretty well by now. Just definitely put passion in the essay, and describe that-how you applied to the hotel school before and didn’t even realize there was a better program for you over in CALS. I’m absolutely 100% positive my essay is what got me in, because I explained that there was no other school but Cornell for me. I’m ready to do that again, this time also adding in the ups/downs I’ve had with not being able to afford to go once I was finally accepted and now going out for my last battle with this application.</p>

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<p>hey wateradept, thank you so much for all of the time you have spent helping out. let me know if there’s anything i can do in return (essay-reading, etc). btw, when you had your college official’s report filled out, what categories did your person put you in? I got excellent (top 10%) for academic and extracurricular categories, and outstanding (top 5%) for personal character and “overall.” </p>

<p>When is your biology class over? Is there any extra credit being offered? It seems like in most of my classes, extra credit is offered in some way because it’s summer and viewed as more difficult…</p>

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<p>No extra credit, and I hate that, like I said earlier she’s one of those really old ladies that pulls the ‘i don’t understand why you’re saying’ look and shrugs it off. She said she doesn’t give or do any extra credit <em>even</em> for her normal semester students (which I don’t know why she put emphasis on the normal semester, since they should easily get a better grade and WE should be the ones with extra points to gain.) </p>

<p>I’m not worried about it anymore, I’ll just deal with it and give a mention to it in my essay. It ends in two days, my last test is that day (not a final.)</p>

<p>And you mean the professor recs? I was going to get two, but I ended up only with one, still he made me sound awesome, haha. I was in top 15% for most everything, with a 10 or two thrown in. His comments about me being able to handle the increased workload were very positive. Definitely gonna impress another professor off the bat starting in September so I get another good rec.</p>

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<p>Ok, most of my check marks are in the top 10-5% for the professor evaluations so I should be all right in that arena. I am going to submit three letters of recommendation (from Literature, Food Science, and Agriculture Business professors), and one supporting letter from my internship coordinator. </p>

<p>What I was actually referring to was the “College Official’s Report.” All transfer applicants are required to submit one from a dean/advisor from the college you have been attending to ensure you are in good academic standing. As I said in the previous post, my dean put me in lower categories than I expected… certainly lower than my advisor (who resigned) had put me in previous College Official Reports. She also only wrote something like four sentences on my behalf… totally just trying to finish it quickly. I am considering having another college official complete it, because I want every part of my application to as strong as possible.</p>

<p>Good to hear your class is almost over. I have until August 18th (and have to get through an Orgo final).</p>

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<p>Good luck! Orgo is tough…I might be looking at taking Orgo I/II during my junior year at Cornell if things go according to plan. Not sure yet…</p>

<p>College officials report…I think my dean did that, except at ACC we don’t have advisors (stupid community colleges) so he did it and basically didn’t fill out any of the categories considering he wouldn’t have anything to put. You could definitely go find another college official to fill it out, that’s a solid idea.</p>